Playboi Carti

CRITIC’S PICK: For an artist who hasn’t dropped since 2020, Playboi Carti’s influence and hype has not faltered in the slightest. For practically the entirety of the three years following the release of his gnarly pivot of a sophomore album Whole Lotta Red, Carti went without releasing new solo music and only starred on a small number of guest features. Save for five tracks — Trippie Redd’s “Miss The Rage,” Abra’s “Unlock It,” Pi’erre Bourne’s “Switching Lanes,” The Weeknd’s “Popular,” and Travis Scott’s “FE!N” — the enigmatic rap sensation has largely gone radio silent. Nonetheless, Playboi Carti’s energy has been channeled through the success of the artists from his young blooded, Atlanta-based record label, Opium. Destroy Lonely, Ken Carson, and Homixide Gang have all been making strong impressions on the new generation of rap fans, and over the next two months, the rising Atlanta artists will aim to elevate their brands even more by joining their labelhead on the road as openers for the 2024 “Antagonist Tour.” With Carti having just unleashed a barrage of new YouTube-exclusive tracks to build anticipation for his long-awaited third studio album, now is the perfect time to see the future of music when Plaboi Carti and the Opium boys hit State Farm Arena at the end of this month. — Joshua Robinson